The opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) will meet in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday. Spokesman for the HNC’s Riyad Nassan Agha said that the purpose of the meeting is to outline an overall vision for the transitional period. He added that the meeting will also discuss the situation on the ground in Syria, the political process and the latest regional and international developments.
Agha pointed out that a special committee set up by the HNC prepared an outline of the opposition’s vision for the transitional period on Wednesday, noting that the committee will present its vision to the HNC during the meeting in Riyadh on Friday. The vision will also be submitted to the friendly countries and to the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, Agha added.
The UN has voiced its “deep concern” about the intensification in fighting in Aleppo and called for humanitarian access to the area as well as the evacuation of civilians. United Nations spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said during a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday that 300,000 people were cut off from humanitarian supplies and commercial goods.
The Syrian opposition was quick to reject the UN calls to evacuate civilians from Aleppo, stressing that emptying the city of its population amounts to giving Assad and his allies a license to destroy the city and a green light for Iran to occupy it.
The Syrian Coalition earlier stressed that the world’s continued silence is no longer acceptable at a time when Aleppo is being annihilated and Daraya starved. (Source: Alsharq Alawsat)
